Crawford County Small Claims Court

How does the defendant learn of the case?

After the plaintiff files the claim, the magistrate court will serve the defendant with a copy of the claim (including the sworn statement) and a summons (with the date and time of the hearng) to appear in court. After that, the defendant has thirty days to respond or answer the claim.

What types of cases are filed in Crawford County Small Claims Court?

Here are some examples of common case types which are filed in Crawford County Small Claims court:

Tenant does not and will not pay for damages caused to rental which are in excess of security deposit
A landlord wants to evict a tenant for failure to pay rent
Landlord fails to return the security deposit to the tenant
Failure of a merchant to deal with faulty merchandise
Borrower refuses to pay back money which was loaned
A dry cleaner will not pay for clothing which was damaged or lost
Automobile shop conducts unnecessary repairs or work on your car

Locations for Crawford County Small Claims Court

The magistrate court for Crawford County is located at:

PO box 568

Roberta, GA 31078

The magistrate judge is Chief Magistrate Robin Dunaway. The telephone number for the court is: 478-836-5804. The fax number is .

Can I hire an attorney for my Crawford County Small Claims Court case?

You may hire an attorney but you are not required to. You are able to file the case on your own completely without the assistance of an attorney. These cases are tried and heard in front of a judge, without a jury (again, they are designed so a party does not need to retain an expensive attorney to represent them in a case). Some courts utilize mediation as a tool to resolve a case without the time and expense of a trial. Some counties will even require a case to attempt to be settled at mediation prior to it being set for trial.

What are the procedures for filing a case?

The case begins with the plaintiff filing a sworn statement with the magistrate court clerk in the proper county. The sworn statement simply spells out the claims made against the defenant and includes the facts on which the claim is based. At a minimum, the sworn statement should include the following facts:

As the plaintiff, include your name, address, and telephone number (and your attorney’s if you retain one)(This is to ensure the court and other parties can contact you should the need arise).
Include the name and street address of the defendant (this is what the court will use to serve the defendant)
Amount of money plaintiff is seeking (sometimes called damages)
Detail why the defendant is being sued (and why this defendant owes the money)
Include copies of all documents relevant to the claim (perhaps a contract for the purchase of a product, or lease)(Keep the originals with you for when you appear at the court trial)

Can I file my case in Crawford County?

If you are suing a person, you must file the case in the County where they live. If the defendant lives in Crawford County, you can file the case in this County. If the defendant is a corporation, the claim must be filed in the county of the registered agent for the company. To find the registered agent, contact the Corporations Division of the Secretary of State either online or at 404-656-2817. If the defendant is an unincorporated business (fancy for is not a corporation), file the case in the county where the business is physically located (ie. if the business is located in Crawford County, file it here).
Plaintiff has to also pay a filing fee which is submitted with the initial paperwork. A portion of the filing fee is for the cost for the court clerk to serve one defendant. Filing fees vary county to county but are generally between $45 and $55. If an additional defendant is named in the action, there will be an extra charge for the court to serve the additional party. The extra charge is usually between $25 to $35 and caries by county.
The court clerk can direct you to the necessary forms and will check them for completeness once you have filled them out. However, the clerk is prohibited by law from giving legal advice. For example, a clerk could review your forms to make sure there is a signature where it is required but cannot tell you who you should name as a defendant. Additionally, the clerk will not be able to tell you if they think you will win your case (so don’t bother asking).

How do I appeal a judgment?

If you are not happy with the court’s decision (and generally at least one party, sometimes both, are not satisfied with the judgment), the party may file an appeal (or ask a higher court to review the judgment). The appeal will be heard by either the state or superior court in the county. For the appeal, either party may request a jury trial (remember you aren’t entitled to a jury trial in magistrate court). Appeals must be filed within 30 days of the judge’s decision.

How do I pick a hearing date?

The court will select a hearing date after the defendant files an answer to the claim. Hearing dates are usually 15 to 30 days after the date the answer was filed.

What’s a default judgment?

When a defendant fails to appear at the hearing or respond to the claim, the court can grant a default judgment. If a default judgment is entered, the plaintiff is awarded the amount that was requested in the claim along with court costs. An additional hearing by the court will be necessary if the plaintiff asked for something that does not have a specific dollar amount. The defendant has a 30 day window to respond to plaintiff’s claim. Once this time period passes, the defendant is in “default.”

Can the Defendant File a Claim Against the Plaintiff?

The defendant is able to sue the plaintiff (this is called a counterclaim). The defendant can file this against the plaintiff’s original claim if the defendant’s claim is related to the plaintiff’s initial claim and the amount asked for by the defendant is less than $15,000. A defendant’s counterclaim is generally heard at the same time and date as the plaintiff’s original claim.

In Crawford County, small claims court is sometimes called magistrate court. These courts are used to resolve disputes if the parties are unable to resolve the dispute.
Small Claims courts handle cases where the amount in dispute is less than $15,000.00. They are designed to quickly and inexpensively settle the dispute.

Hearing Procedures and Mediation

In some counties, the court requires both parties to attempt to resolve the case through mediation before the court will hear the case (if the mediation is unsuccessful). Mediation is a way for both parties to meet with an independent third party who can evaluate the case and try to reach a settlement that is agreeable to both parties. Even if the parties are agreeable to settling the case through mediation, a plaintiff may still ask the defendant to pay court costs. In the event the mediation does not resolve the claim, the case will proceed to the hearing. The court will also allow the plaintiff and defendant to question or dispute each other’s evidence during the hearing. When all parties are finished presenting their evidence, the court will render a decision. The court may award damages to the plaintiff, defendant, both, or none of the parties depending on what the facts of the case warrant.
If the plaintiff does not appear at the hearing, the court may do any of the following:

allow defendant the opportunity to put on evidence and issue a decision without the plaintiff present.
Postpone the case until a later date
Dismiss the case

If the defendant does not show at the hearing, the court has the authority to grant a default judgment against the defendant. The name comes from the fact that because the defendant does not show, the plaintiff wins the case by “default.” The lesson to be learned is make sure you attent the hearing regardless of whether you are the plaintiff or the defendant.

How should I prepare for the hearing?

We recommend taking the following steps to prepare for your hearing:

Make sure you have copies of all the documents you need for your case. Prepare copies to provide to the opposing party and the court.
Communicate with any witnesses you intend to call to prove your case. Confirm they are available on the day of the hearing.
If you need to bring in a witness to prove your case and the witness is not being cooperative with you, prepare a subpoena.
If in preparing your documents you find that you need additional documents, you can subpoena documents from other parties as well.
A subpoena is a documnt which can be completed by you and issued by the court which commands a person to appear in court and may require them to bring certain documents to court as well.

You can obtain a subpoena from the Crawford County Clerk for the Magistrate Court.